It was our last live concert experience before the accursed set in of the COVID-19 pandemic! We got to witness one of punk rock music’s biggest agitators — Race Traitor.
While most certainly not a household band name, this now Chicago-based group has been around for long time and it’s membership has broken up, morphed and changed during a rather torrid history.
The present day version of Race Traitor is fronted by highly spirited and politically outspoken lead vocalist Mani Mostofi.
Throughout this set — his politics were most certainly front and centre. Mostofi was unrelenting with his political viewpoints which focus and attack many important social subjects including racial inequalities, the American criminal justice system itself, xenophobia and the blatant bigotry present under current U.S. leadership. It’s safe to say that any fans or supporters of (a certain individual occupying the White House) that might been present at the venue this night — might have felt uncomfortable pretty quickly and often.
Mostofi, is a lawyer based from Brooklyn NY., who is proud of and touts his Middle-eastern descent (Iran). He is also recognized as a very vocal advocate for human rights — and while on stage he most certainly brings all that right into your face. This is a punk rock agitator through-and-through which we could try to describe having similarities to Zack de La Rocha (Rage Against the Machine) and maybe a far less comedic version of San Francisco’s infamous Jello Biafra (Dead Kennedys).
Mostofi is backed up by some very talented musicians — guitarists Andrea Black and Daniel Binaei, bass player Brent Decker and drummer Andrew Hurley.
In total during their history and since 1998, they have a number of releases (LPs EPs and complications) to their credit with the most recent title being “2042” which came out in 2018 on the Good Fight Music label.
You can link to the band’s official social media: HERE
Event review and photos by Bruce Biegler
